The present invention relates generally to electrical power generation and storage and more specifically to self contained autogenous electrical power sources.
It is well-known in the art of electrical power generation and storage to construct a battery of alternating plates of dissimilar materials immersed in an electrolyte, such battery being charged by the impression of an electrical current thereon and, in use, being discharged by the passage of current through an external load. Such prior art batteries may be constructed of many different plate materials and utilize different electrolytes. The most common are the lead-acid storage battery utilized in the automobile industry, for example, to store power for starting the engine and the nickel-cadmium battery commonly utilized in small appliances.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,766 entitled "Energy Cell Device" issued Oct. 10, 1978 to Gerard A. Doering discloses a galvanic cell for converting chemical energy to electrical energy by process known in the art. Doering teaches that the current obtainable from a galvanic cell can be increased in proportion to the surface area of the plate materials and he discloses a method of utilizing woven materials in a cylindrical configuration to achieve increased current. The device disclosed by Doering relies on conventional chemical reactions and provides for no extension of battery life or unusual power source other than by varying the thickness of the plates to provide more material to be consumed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,917 entitled "Electrochemical Cell and Separator Plate Thereof" issued Oct. 2, 1979 to Bernard S. Baker and Dilip J. Dharia discloses a fuel cell device for converting an external source of fuel into electrical energy by chemical conversion. Baker and Dharia teach that the efficiency of a fuel cell may be enhanced by manipulation of the flow path by which the fuel passes through the device and disclose methods by which such manipulation can occur. The device functions as an engine converting fuel to electrical energy, relying on the size of the external fuel supply to determine useful cell life.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,216 entitled "Electrical Energy Storage" issued Dec. 28, 1982 to John E. McGinness discloses a method of storing electrical energy within the matrix of an organic solid by manipulation of the electrical ions within the matrix. This device overcomes the limitations of chemical reaction based systems then known in the art but fails to address extension of the useful lifetime without recharging limitation common to all batteries.
Each of the above cited U.S. patents disclose storage batteries which utilize chemical reactions for storing and releasing electrical energy. In this process some or all of the battery components are consumed or destroyed and, in the case of rechargeable batteries, require an external power source to be recharged.
It is well-known in the field of nuclear physics that many materials, such as metals and many compounds of metals, have a measurable tendency to release electrons. This tendency is related to the amount of work or energy, referred to as the work function, require to overcome the force holding an electron on the surface of a material. The work function is specific to each material and, typically, increases with material density. It is possible to arrange materials in a rank order by the numerical value of their work function. If two dissimilar materials are placed in contact with each other or if the two dissimilar materials are coupled together in an electric circuit, the material with the lower work function will release electrons to the material with the greater work function until the two materials are electrically balanced or in equilibrium. The resulting difference in potential between the two materials is equal to the difference in their work functions and is referred to as the contact potential difference of the two materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,696,564 entitled "Radio Electric Generator" issued Dec. 7, 1954 to Philip E. Ohmart discloses a device to detect external sources of radiation by direct conversion of such radiation to an electrical current. Ohmart describes a detector cell comprising a center electrode and a concentric outer electrode enclosing a volume of ionizable gas therebetween. The electrodes are fabricated from electro-chemically dissimilar materials and are connected in an external circuit. Ionization of the gas by externally produced radiation produces a current flow, the magnitude of which is proportional to the radiating flux. The center electrode may be hollow forming a sample holder for receiving a radioactive source. The detector cell disclosed by Ohmart provides improvement over prior art radiation detectors in that it eliminates this need for an external voltage supply. However, an external source of radioactive flux is required to generate electric current.